Peavey Classic 30

dtaylorl · 08-02-2009, 03:00 PM

As you may or may not know I've been looking at getting a new amp for about $300. I might have a chance to get a Peavey Classic 30 at this price and I am very interested, but have a few questions. First, how quiet can I get this thing? I have been looking at 5 watters for a reason, as I primarily play in my bedroom (although I would also use it to gig on occasion). I know 30 watts is going to be way too loud. Of course, this is where an attenuator comes in; but I'm wondering if there is a limit to how much quieter the attenuator can make the amp without loosing sound quality? Second, how much do these usually sell for used - between $300 and $400 is a great deal, right? Third, is there anything I should look for when trying it out/before buying it to make sure it is in good condition?

Thanks!

Almost Enough · 08-02-2009, 03:11 PM

Awesome amp. I use mine for bedroom and church use all the time.

AFAIK, 300 is a good deal. 400 is decent. These are fantastic amps, real workhorses.

As far as attenuating down, you might be able to just put a volume pedal or an eq in the FX loop...not sure though. Never needed to try it. Really, there's enough tonal controls on it you can keep it sounding pretty good at low volume levels.

**bravesfan007** · 08-02-2009, 03:20 PM

You'll be fine playing it in your room. The loudness will not be a problem. A 5 watt amp is roughly half as loud as a 50 watt amp so you're mainly gaining headroom as the wattage increases.

To answer your question about whether or not it is a good deal, if I could find one for $300 I would get it. Alas, I never find any for sale locally and if I do, they are usually priced at like $450.

Bro Shane · 08-02-2009, 04:01 PM

A Classic 30 for $300 is a good deal, indeed.

Look for rust on the transformers. A little might not be too bad, but badly rusted transformers will need to be replaced, and they aren't cheap.

Major Tom · 08-02-2009, 06:48 PM

Quote:

....Of course, this is where an attenuator comes in; but I'm wondering if there is a limit to how much quieter the attenuator can make the amp without loosing sound quality

Yes, and no. Any amp will not sound very good at very low volumes, whether it is attenuated or not.I believe that power attenuators are one of the least understood pieces of guitar gear, and therefore get a lot of undeserved negative reviews. A couple factors:

The Munson-Fletcher Effect. This is an accepted fact, not an opinion from me. Our ears' frequency response/perception varies a lot with sound pressure level, and guitar amps are not voiced to sound good at "bedroom" levels. An attenuator will not change how your ears work; it will facilitate getting a powerful amp down to bedroom level, and therefore allow you to discover how it sounds wimpy and anemic at that level. A player who blames an attenuator for wimpy sound at very low volumes IMO is roughly analogous to someone who blames the magnifying glass for the wrinkles and imperfections it allows him to see on his face.

Speakers - I believe that speakers have a minimum threshold of operation, maybe it is only 1 or 2 watts, but below a certain point, they just don't work very well. Even at one or 2 watts, your typical 12" guitar speaker is pretty loud. Now that minimum is just so they will sound decent - not their best, which will probably require 10 -15 maybe, but just decent. Another factor is the efficiency of the speaker, which is how much acoustic volume it will produce with the amount of power applied; and that does vary by a significant amount. For example, the Celestion Blue speakers put out 103 decibels with only 1 watt of input - 103 db is pretty loud if you are anywhere close to it. IMO, as a rule of power attenuation, it is more about the speaker(s); i.e., their efficiency, how they sound with low levels, etc. than the amplifier wattage. As an example, the minimum decent sounding volume level I can get my AC15cc with the Celestion Blue, or another amp with the also very efficient Weber Blue Dog (clone of the C. Blue) is higher than when I use a less efficient speaker. In other words, I get better ultra-low volume tone with a "lesser" speaker. Multiple speakers just raise that minimum volume level all the more; IMO, for example, it does not make sense to attenuate a 4x12 cab - it would be better to use a 1x12 and then attenuate that if necessary. For strictly bedroom use, an 8" speaker (yes, you still need to attenuate), by virtue of the fact that it puts out much less volume per watt, is a better choice than a 12". Another example - my HR Deville 4x10, a few mods and I love how it sounds with strats and teles. With an attenuator, I cannot get it to sound decent at all at the volume where I need to be because it has 4 speakers. If I wanted to use that amp in that venue, I should get a passable result by connecting only one of its speakers.

I personally believe that a power attenuator is a useful piece of gear, when used judiciously. It is not a panacea to get cranked amp mojo at ridiculously low volumes, and will fail at that about as well as the un-attenuated amp will, but can be used as part of an overall scheme to help tame a loud amp. See the sticky thread "Homemade Attenuators". Those do work well for amps 30 watts and below.

What to look for - one that has new tubes, all the functions work, and sounds good. A lot of players upgrade the speaker to something like a Celestion V-30 or whatever, that would increase the value IMO. The "Blue Marvel" speakers that come in the C30 do not have a very good reputation.

As far as the price, not sure about the Canadian dollar value, but 400 seems high to me. At that price in American funds, I personally would opt for one of the Vox AC15cc's that I see on CL from time to time at $400... YMMV.

.

Ax · 08-02-2009, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Major Tom

Yes, and no. Any amp will not sound very good at very low volumes, whether it is attenuated or not.I believe that power attenuators are one of the least understood pieces of guitar gear, and therefore get a lot of undeserved negative reviews. A couple factors:

The Munson-Fletcher Effect. This is an accepted fact, not an opinion from me. Our ears' frequency response/perception varies a lot with sound pressure level, and guitar amps are not voiced to sound good at "bedroom" levels. An attenuator will not change how your ears work; it will facilitate getting a powerful amp down to bedroom level, and therefore allow you to discover how it sounds wimpy and anemic at that level. A player who blames an attenuator for wimpy sound at very low volumes IMO is roughly analogous to someone who blames the magnifying glass for the wrinkles and imperfections it allows him to see on his face.

Speakers - I believe that speakers have a minimum threshold of operation, maybe it is only 1 or 2 watts, but below a certain point, they just don't work very well. Even at one or 2 watts, your typical 12" guitar speaker is pretty loud. Now that minimum is just so they will sound decent - not their best, which will probably require 10 -15 maybe, but just decent. Another factor is the efficiency of the speaker, which is how much acoustic volume it will produce with the amount of power applied; and that does vary by a significant amount. For example, the Celestion Blue speakers put out 103 decibels with only 1 watt of input - 103 db is pretty loud if you are anywhere close to it. IMO, as a rule of power attenuation, it is more about the speaker(s); i.e., their efficiency, how they sound with low levels, etc. than the amplifier wattage. As an example, the minimum decent sounding volume level I can get my AC15cc with the Celestion Blue, or another amp with the also very efficient Weber Blue Dog (clone of the C. Blue) is higher than when I use a less efficient speaker. In other words, I get better ultra-low volume tone with a "lesser" speaker. Multiple speakers just raise that minimum volume level all the more; IMO, for example, it does not make sense to attenuate a 4x12 cab - it would be better to use a 1x12 and then attenuate that if necessary. For strictly bedroom use, an 8" speaker (yes, you still need to attenuate), by virtue of the fact that it puts out much less volume per watt, is a better choice than a 12". Another example - my HR Deville 4x10, a few mods and I love how it sounds with strats and teles. With an attenuator, I cannot get it to sound decent at all at the volume where I need to be because it has 4 speakers. If I wanted to use that amp in that venue, I should get a passable result by connecting only one of its speakers.

I personally believe that a power attenuator is a useful piece of gear, when used judiciously. It is not a panacea to get cranked amp mojo at ridiculously low volumes, and will fail at that about as well as the un-attenuated amp will, but can be used as part of an overall scheme to help tame a loud amp. See the sticky thread "Homemade Attenuators". Those do work well for amps 30 watts and below.

What to look for - one that has new tubes, all the functions work, and sounds good. A lot of players upgrade the speaker to something like a Celestion V-30 or whatever, that would increase the value IMO. The "Blue Marvel" speakers that come in the C30 do not have a very good reputation.

As far as the price, not sure about the Canadian dollar value, but 400 seems high to me. At that price in American funds, I personally would opt for one of the Vox AC15cc's that I see on CL from time to time at $400... YMMV.

.

Indeed, I want one, but only to use so that I can dime my amp and not make myself deaf, I'm not looking to take it down to bedroom level, just, not stadium rocking levels.

jerrydyer · 08-03-2009, 04:25 PM

a Peavy Classic 30 for $300 ? grab it ... great ones classic 50 tooo

how did that weird comment get into all of our avatar areas.? What does it mean?

AudioAUnderdog · 08-03-2009, 08:36 PM

I got mine for $350 and it was already modified with JJ tubes. I played it for practice and gigs for about two years and I've never had any sort of problem with it. It doesn't sound as good as my Fender Deluxe VM, or the Fender Super Reverb I've been drooling over, but for $300 you probably won't find much (if any) better.

And I do use it for bedroom practice. It's a little on the loud side, but it's still quiet enough not to blow my ears out or annoy my parents (too much lol).

**thesteve** · 08-03-2009, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerrydyer

how did that weird comment get into all of our avatar areas.? What does it mean?

It's part of a contest going on right now.

The C30 is a good little amp, especially for $300. It's a bit of a different beast than the C50, but I have a friend with a C30 who's been very happy with it.

**Skeeter** · 08-04-2009, 02:27 AM

I have a Peavey Classic 30 head and I adore it. $300 Canadian is a great price for that amp. You'll certainly be able to use it in your bedroom at low volume, though it won't sound as nice, of course.

**thesteve** · 08-04-2009, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

I have a Peavey Classic 30 head and I adore it. $300 Canadian is a great price for that amp. You'll certainly be able to use it in your bedroom at low volume, though it won't sound as nice, of course.

I didn't realize we were talking $300 CAD here. That's definitely a great price.

**Rainer.** · 08-04-2009, 12:45 PM

I tend to lean towards slightly higher powered amps (meaning not 5 watters) because I don't hugely care about how I sound in my bedroom, but I have the gigworthy power that I actually need. Just a thought: Do you really need amazing tone in your bedroom?

dtaylorl · 08-04-2009, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

I tend to lean towards slightly higher powered amps (meaning not 5 watters) because I don't hugely care about how I sound in my bedroom, but I have the gigworthy power that I actually need. Just a thought: Do you really need amazing tone in your bedroom?

No, but I do want to be able to get it to break up. What you said in that post makes a lot of sense. If it sounds like the Behringer I have right now in the bed room thats fine, but it needs to sound good for gigs. So long as its not so loud I can't handle it and I can still get it to break up.

AudioAUnderdog · 08-05-2009, 12:26 AM

My Classic 30 will break up, but just a little and only if you set it on the overdrive channel and turn it up at least half way. At full volume it sounds much more like an overdrive pedal rather than a distortion pedal. If you want distortion, you have to use a pedal. The good news is that it takes pedals well. I used a Jekyll and Hyde with it and I was very happy with the sound. I even plugged my Boss Metal Zone (which I've since sold) into it and I got a great tone for modern rock like Kutless. But without a pedal the drive channel is pretty useless.

**Skeeter** · 08-05-2009, 11:35 AM

I like the drive channel on my Classic 30 just fine for punk rock.